Autonomous Security

• XBOW, a leader in autonomous offensive security, raised $35 million in additional Series C financing with Samsung Ventures participating, announced on May 8, 2026. • Foley & Lardner LLP represented Samsung Ventures in the deal, bolstering XBOW's capabilities in AI-driven cybersecurity operations. • The funding arrives amid rising demand for advanced security tools, emphasizing the growing importance of autonomous systems in threat detection and response.

• IBM announced IBM Autonomous Security on April 15, 2026, deploying coordinated AI agents to detect and contain threats at machine speed without human intervention. • The service addresses a critical gap: attackers now achieve full network lateral movement in as little as 27 seconds, compared to an average of 29 minutes in 2024—a 65% speed improvement driving urgent demand for AI-powered defenses. • AI-enabled attacks surged 89% year-over-year in 2025, with a 44% increase in assaults exploiting public-facing applications, prompting major security vendors to adopt autonomous AI defense strategies.

• IBM launched IBM Autonomous Security on April 17, 2026, a multi-agent AI service automating detection, policy enforcement, and remediation against frontier AI-driven attacks in hybrid environments. • The solution addresses emerging 'agentic attacks' where adversaries use advanced AI models, with nearly 80% of global IT leaders citing AI as a major security risk. • IBM also released an enterprise cybersecurity assessment tool focused on threats from large language models and generative AI.

• Dropzone AI, a Seattle-based startup, secured $16.8 million in funding to develop autonomous AI agents for cybersecurity operations. • The company is a finalist for GeekWire Awards' AI Innovation of the Year, competing with firms transforming HR, retail, biotech, and more. • Investors back the platform amid surging demand for AI-driven threat detection and response in US enterprises.

• Amazon Web Services unveiled autonomous AI agents on April 1, 2026, designed to handle DevOps and security operations with minimal human intervention. • The agents target complex incident management, enabling enterprises to streamline tasks like threat detection and code deployment. • This launch signals a shift toward operational AI autonomy, making advanced tools accessible for startups and SMEs amid rising AI adoption.